Interview with a Villain

(I’ll admit, when I was given this particular
interview topic, I was stumped—mostly because the true villain for the Damned
series has yet to be revealed. So instead, I decided to sit down a fan favorite
who may or may not have villainous intent—Lilith, the current reigning leader
of the succubae.)

--So, I
think we’d all like to know—why make the jump from being Adam’s first wife to
being, for all intents and purposes, a demon?

I’ll be honest, I’m surprised anyone in this day and
age even remembers I was married to Adam before Eve—who was, I’m not ashamed to
say, a much better wife than me, even taking in to account the whole eating the
fruit from the Tree of Knowledge thing. I’m not surprised by the fact people
just assume I went straight for the so-called dark side. It’s never really a
fall from grace—it’s more a gradual slide and tumble down the hill.

--So what
caused your slide down the hill?

A man, of course (light laughter). The man, at least for me. And not a man
so much as one of the Watchers, although they weren’t called that in the
beginning. In the beginning, he was just Samael. And then, when the other
Watchers Fell and Heaven was closed, he became the Angel of Death—fitting,
since it was the career change which killed our marriage.

--And it
was after this… career change that you had a change of your own?

People do desperate and stupid things when they’ve
had their heart broken. I don’t apologize for any of the things I did or the
choices I made. I rebuilt myself and then I gave other women the chance to do
the same.

--Now, I
understand in theory what a succubae is and what they do but I’d like to hear
from the original succubus on those topics.

We tempt people—mostly men, although some of the
girls specialize in women and some are indiscriminate—with the sex of their
wildest dreams and then harvest their energy. We rarely kill anyone, simply
because it’s messy and time-consuming and causes so many complications with the
other side. The energy is pooled, some of it being sent to Morning Star and the
rest being redistributed back to the girls. It’s a nice, tidy little system.

--But not
everybody is happy with the system.

If I spent my time trying to make everybody happy
I would never get anything else done.

--Which isn’t
really an answer to the question.

Well, you didn’t really ask a question, did you?
(long pause) The situation is being handled. Not as quickly and efficiently as
I would prefer but it’s being handled. I fully believe it will be resolved in
the next few months.

--My
sources tell me you’re looking at abdicating your position to one of the
leaders of the so-called rebellion, Julie Watson, who also happens to be one of
your newest girls. Why would you willing step down from the position you
created after all this time?

What can I say? We all make sacrifices for love.

4 DEMONIC STAR REVIEW:

Starting a series in the middle is always a risk. It must be hard for authors to balance continuing the story for devoted fans while also creating a book that could attack new readers. I think the author of this book did a good job of both. This is book four of the Damned series. I will admit, there were times when I was a little confused as to what was going one, but Pruitt did a good job of filling in the gaps of the story line. I like the fast speed of the plot kept me entertained and I pretty much ignored everyone until I made it to the end. I just wanted to see what would happen next. I like the idea behind this story and I do not know of another story that creates demon characters as anti-heroes. I believe, if I had started this book from the beginning I would have a closer connection to the characters and the premise of the story.

Reviewed by Terri

Excerpt:

“You’ll catch cold if you stay out here much
longer.”

I didn’t turn
around, continuing to study the skyline. “I’m fine.”

“It’s three in
the morning. You should be asleep.” He didn’t sound angry about the fact I
wasn’t or the fact I was standing outside in late September in sleep pants and
a thin cotton tank. If anything, his scolding sounded as if it was for form and
nothing else. “It’s been a long day for all of us.”

“Yes.” Now I did
turn around, studying Barry with the same intensity I’d shown the various
buildings of Prague. “Why are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad.”
He pulled a cigar from the pocket of his sleep pants but didn’t light it,
staring at the tip for a moment before sliding it back in his pocket. “I’m
tired, Julie. As I said, it’s been a long day. The next few days—weeks,
rather—promise to be equally long. We all need to sleep, to keep our strength
up for what lies ahead.”

“You haven’t
touched me since we got back.” Since he stood in front of my sister and ripped
her heart out and then walked away without a backward glance. “You’ve barely
said anything all night long.”

“As I said, I’m
tired.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a
long sigh. “There’s been quite a bit of upheaval in the last thirty-six hours
or so. Quite a bit. Forgive me if I’m not my usual charming self. You have more
than enough people here to pay you attention if you’re feeling uncared for.”

“That’s not what
I meant.” I turned back to the city view, widening my eyes and blinking rapidly
in an effort to keep the tears at bay. I didn’t have a problem with using tears
as a weapon when they were called for but I wouldn’t use them with him, ever.
“You’re right. It’s late. Go to sleep. I’m fine.”

“We both know
I’m not going to sleep until you do.” I heard the sound of metal scraping over
concrete and glanced over my shoulder to find he’d pulled one of the patio
chairs free of the table. Sitting down and stretching out his legs, he said,
“As long as you’re here, I’m here.”

“Barry—.”

“Arguing will
only frustrate us both, Julie Elizabeth, and we’ve had enough frustration for
the day.” He slid further down in the seat, almost slouching, and crossed his
arms. “As long as you’re here, I’m here.”

“But do you want to be here?” The question tumbled
out before I even realized it was in my mind and I bit my tongue, already
regretting it. “Never mind. You don’t have to answer that.”

“Come here.”
When I didn’t move, he uncrossed his arms and held out one hand. “Please.”

Crossing the
balcony, I took his hand, curling up in his lap and resting my head on his
shoulder. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he cleared his throat. “I
don’t know any other way to say it. I can simply say as long as you’re here,
I’m here. When you want to leave, we’ll leave.”

“And where would
we go?” Joanne’s face in the instant after Barry verbally sucker punched her,
Asmodeus’s face the second after I shot him, flashed through my mind and I
hunched my shoulders as if the memory carried a physical blow. “There’s no
place left. We burned all those bridges today.”

“The thing about
bridges is they can always be rebuilt and when they are, they’re stronger than
before they burned.” He brushed my hair away from my face, stroking one hand
down my back and pulling me tighter against him. “But since you don’t want to
leave, the discussion is moot.”

“We’re doing the
right thing.”

“The right thing
done the wrong way is no longer the right thing.”

“If there was a
way to do this differently, we would have taken it.” We’d tried to take it.
We’d tried to meet the others halfway. Nobody—Lilith, Asmodeus, the Power,
Morning Star—wanted to bend.

So we would have
to break them.

“After the raids
begin today, there is no turning back. You and your supporters will be branded
traitors. There will be bounties on your heads.” He pressed his lips to my
hair, breathing deep. “On all our heads. You’ve never lived through a war.”

It wasn’t a
question but I answered anyway. “No, I haven’t.”

“I’ve been
through more than my fair share, even considering my age. When it’s impossible
to die from manmade weapons, you tend to fight in wars simply to alleviate the
boredom.” He turned, pressing his face in to my hair. “And they’re nothing
compared to supernatural wars. So far you’ve only seen the pretty side of Hell.
There are things which will be unleashed which should never exist out of
nightmares.”

“On us or by
us?”

“Both.” His hand
shook as he stroked my back and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort me or
himself. “Some things can’t be unseen or unfelt. You’ll carry it with you until
the day you die.”

“Are you trying
to scare me?”

“I’m trying to
warn you. Up until now, everything about this war has been theoretical. Until
today, no true shots were fired.” He drew back, his face unnaturally somber,
even for him. “I know you did what you had to do and I don’t fault you for that
decision.”

“But I
officially started the war.” I nodded. “I know. I’ll live with it.”

“Things will get
worse.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “They always do.”

“And then they
get better.” I had to believe that. If I didn’t, then there was a good chance I
was wrecking and ruining lives for no reason at all. I pressed my lips to his,
lightly, for comfort more than anything else. “Things will be better. We’re
going to make them better.”

We didn’t have any other choice.

About the Author:

L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She knows this because she's killed bamboo. Twice. She is the author of the Winged series, the Plaisir Coupable series, Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and Taken: A Frankie Post Novel.